1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to economic development; providing incentives 
  1.3             to produce films in Minnesota; appropriating money. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [FILM PRODUCTION JOBS PROGRAM.] 
  1.6      The film production jobs program is created.  The program 
  1.7   shall be operated by the Minnesota film board with 
  1.8   administrative oversight and control by the commissioner of 
  1.9   trade and economic development.  The program shall make payment 
  1.10  to producers of dramatic feature films that directly create new 
  1.11  film jobs in Minnesota.  To be eligible for a payment, a 
  1.12  producer must submit documentation to the Minnesota film board 
  1.13  of expenditures for wages for work on new film production jobs 
  1.14  in Minnesota by resident Minnesotans.  The film jobs include 
  1.15  work such as technical crews, acting talent, set construction, 
  1.16  soundstage or equipment rental, local postproduction film 
  1.17  processing, and other film production jobs.  
  1.18     The film board must make recommendations to the 
  1.19  commissioner about program payment, but the recommendations are 
  1.20  not binding and the commissioner has the authority to make the 
  1.21  final determination on payments.  The commissioner's 
  1.22  determination must be based on the amount of wages documented to 
  1.23  the film board and the likelihood that the payment will lead to 
  1.24  further documentable wage payments.  Payment may not exceed 
  2.1   $100,000 for a film.  No more than five percent of the funds 
  2.2   appropriated for the program in any year may be expended for 
  2.3   administration.  Individual feature film projects shooting on or 
  2.4   after January 1, 1997, will be eligible for fund allocations. 
  2.5      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION; DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND ECONOMIC 
  2.6   DEVELOPMENT; FILM PRODUCTION JOBS FUND.] 
  2.7      $500,000 in fiscal year 1998 and $500,000 in fiscal year 
  2.8   1999 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of 
  2.9   trade and economic development.  Of this appropriation, $500,000 
  2.10  in fiscal year 1998 and $500,000 in fiscal year 1999 is for the 
  2.11  Minnesota film board for the purpose of the film production jobs 
  2.12  program created in section 1.